Sonali Shivlani is an Internationally Certified Pregnancy, Lactation and Child Nutrition Counselor and has worked with more than 15,000 couples. Sonali heads CAPPA in India which is the largest Birth Professional Training organization in the World and is the Executive Director of the CAPPA Internati

How Your Baby Grows Inside You: Week 32

At week 32, your pregnancy week by week chart marks your baby at about 17 inches in length and about 1900 grams in weight. This week onwards, your baby will grow rapidly and gain almost 100-150 grams per week till the time of birth. Her/his lungs are still not mature which means s/he is not ready yet for life outside your womb. A few more weeks in this nurturing environment will help prepare your little person for the world outside.

This is a good week to start organizing your baby’s clothes. Whether new or borrowed, all the clothes must be washed with hot water and mild soap and then ironed to ensure that all germs and bacteria have been killed. Sort out all the tiny clothes,cloth nappies, swaddling cloths, caps and socks into little bundles since there is going to be a lot of washing to do from now on.

Signs and Symptoms

You will now be noticing that the uterus tightens and then relaxes at sporadic intervals. These are Braxton-Hicks contractions and they happen randomly through the day. Some moms who are busy at work might not even notice these contractions. This is just your uterus exercising and preparing for labor. Braxton-Hicks contractions are mild, short, sporadic and painless and have no effect on the cervix.

Breathlessness, loss of appetite, acidity and frequent urination all are symptoms that you might start experiencing this week. All this might make you feel very uncomfortable but hang in there, this is going to last only for a few weeks more.

It is natural to feel heavy and experience some amount of backache. Try sitting on a wedge-shaped pillow for a better posture.

At this point, sleep might also be difficult due to nasal congestion. You may find it comfortable to sleep in a semi sitting position as it eases nasal congestion and does not compress the blood supply to the uterus.

Emotional Changes

As you progress into your pregnancy week by week, you may experience the anxiety of labour and birth, to ease the same, try writing out some positive affirmations. It is important that you feel positive about your delivery so try and surround yourself with positive, happy people. If you listen to any negative experiences, just filter them out!

Red Flags

If you feel more than 4 Braxton-Hicks contractions in an hour, then you might be in ‘pre-labor’ and must speak to your doctor. Additionally, make sure you report any period-like cramps, leaking of fluid or a bloody discharge to your doctor. Many times, if reported on time, preterm labor can be dealt with and your doctor might be able to keep your baby in the womb for a few more weeks.

Old Wives Tales

Pregnant women are discouraged from taking regular baths towards the end of pregnancy as it is said that a bath can bring on early labour. This is not true. A regular bath keeps you fresh and germ-free. Very hot water baths must be avoided to maintain womb temperature. It is only after your water breaks that a bath must be avoided to reduce risk of infection.

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Sonali Shivlani is an Internationally Certified Pregnancy, Lactation and Child Nutrition Counselor and has worked with more than 15,000 couples. Sonali heads CAPPA in India which is the largest Birth Professional Training organization in the World and is the Executive Director of the CAPPA Internati

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